Saturday, May 3, 2008

Tracings

If I were to sum up my involvements of the past month I would have to sum it up as "rich" and ripe with possibility. Major things are afoot with my projects both in and out of the office. Too bad, however, I haven't been blogging about them! Each one would be a rich discussion to unplug...I usually blog in the morning more to prepare my mind for the task at hand rather than to recap the day. I may may have to shake up the way I do blogging...but for now, my dear reader, you will have to deal with the tracings:

a) JC's old home in High Point: The boyhood home of my long-time musical hero John Coltrane is a strategic piece of a revitalization plan I'm working on for the City of High Point, N.C., a city which really needs to reinvent itself. We're looking at revitalizing Coltrane's old neighborhood and creating a regional music festival center. The Kilby Hotel, a historic structure on Washington Drive that once served as a stop-over on the "Chitlin' Circuit" (receiving guests such as Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and others) will hopefully be the generative seed of the revitalization effort.

b) The REEF building for Henderson, N.C. Again a revitalization effort. Although our proposal was not chosen, in the process I discovered the economic potential of Speed Shops...of all things! A catalyst for creative ventures that I can definitely take to Charlotte (especially for our South Corridor). That's right...Highly paid mechanical artists are great community builders. Already we have the biker-types rolling on South Blvd. We have near constant parades of them droning down the Blvd...so where are the speed shops, biker clubs and chopper shops that cater to them (outside of Max's Speed Shop)? A big idea to plop into my head: A hardscape garden for bike rallies and dragsters...Imagine the potential for South Blvd! We'll have to call it "DIRTY SOUTH BLVD". 'D

c) The Area 15 Artist Colony. Imagining a community for artists which is affordable, sustainable, and generative, and prevents gentrification by preserving the presence of artists in communities. This is a volunteer effort I'm undertaking for Area 15 and I am really excited...definitely more to blog about later. Not coincidentally, "b" and "c" are about to get married if I get my way...Find out more later, buds!

Improv

I practice architecture and urban design in Charlotte, N.C., often as a consultant in transportation projects. The rest of my time I help layout the developments of the clients of the firm I work for. While I'd like to be an urbanist, if anything, I'm an expert in the layout of parking lots. For now, just consider me an "aspiring urbanist", until governments allow me to practice what I preach.